Method and apparatus for wrapping of an article

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus are for wrapping a bale (30) in a web, such as plastic film material. In a first wrapping stage the bale is moved along a bed while the web material is wrapped around it by a dispenser moving about the path of the bale. The dispenser rotates about a first (horizontal) axis while the bale moves parallel to the first axis. In a second wrapping stage the web dispenser is rotated 90 degrees and held stationary while the bale is rotated about a second, vertical axis.

The present invention relates to a method for wrapping an article orobject in accordance with what, and more particularly to a method inwhich the article is wrapped by rotating said article. Furthermore, thepresent invention relates to an apparatus for wrapping an article.

It is prior known to wrap articles, such as fodder bales, straw bales orpulp bales, various packages or for example smaller goods or objectsloaded on a pallet or the like with a suitable wrapping material web,such as a plastic sheet or a wrapping film. Such a wrapping has beenperformed for example such that a sequence of articles is conveyed inthe direction of movement thereof into a wrapping apparatus in which thearticles pass through a rotating circular ring. The rotating ring isprovided with at least one dispenser or straining device including aroll of plastic film which rotates with the ring around the article andfrom which plastic is unwound and wrapped around the outer surfaces ofthe article. A problem exists in that, in case the articles have to beseparated after wrapping, there is no cover or shield provided by thewrapping material on the ends of the articles since only the sides ofthe articles can be wrapped with the wrapping material when the articlesin the wrapping apparatus are tightly successive with their endsattached to each other. In case the articles are not separated from eachother, the result is a long and heavy string of articles which isdifficult to handle and in which there are a plurality of successivearticles within the same wrapping film. Also, the ends of said string ofarticles are without a shield provided by the wrapping film againstmechanical stresses and/or for example against weather conditions andsunlight.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,449 (Hannen) discloses a solution in which the wholerotating ring is swung 90° and thus a cover is provided which is wrappedin two directions around the load on a pallet. However, the disadvantageof said solution lies on the complex and heavy structure. The supportingand the upward-downward movement of the ring in the horizontal positionrequires an extremely rigid construction of the apparatus and turningmeans whose power demand is high, especially then when the articles tobe wrapped are big in size. Such a construction is naturally notsuitable for applications in which the wrapping device is used as amovable unit.

Round articles, such as round bales or the like are wrapped one by onein a plastic film by devices which are provided with a rotating tableand in which the bale is rotated while the dispenser dispenses the filmaround the bale. Such devices are disclosed, for instance, in EP PatentApplication No. 0 565 055, NO Patent Application No. 884841, GB PatentApplication No. 2 221 203 and SE Patent No. 467 248. However, onlyindividual articles can be wrapped with the film by said deviceswhereupon the capacity of such devices is poor. Furthermore, saiddevices are suitable only for wrapping of cylindrical articles.

It has been found lately that, for example, in connection with fodder orstraw bales or the like the formation of a round bale in a balingmachine is more inefficient as to the capacity of the machine thanmaking a so-called "square bale" of a shape of the rectangular prism.The apparatuses forming a square bale or the like can be arranged tooperate continuously since the need of stopping the formation process isavoided during the binding of the article, which stopping is requiredwhen forming round bales in the baling machine. The efficiency of suchmachines forming square bales compared to the machines forming roundbales is that much higher that they are used more and more instead ofmachines forming round bales, despite the fact that the wrapping of thesquare shaped articles is more difficult. The problem lies in the factthat there are no suitable devices for the wrapping of theparallelepided shaped articles with a weblike material. Severalproposals have been made in an attempt to modify the aforementionedround article wrapping machines with various optional equipments inorder to adapt them to wrap also square shaped articles. However, theusers have not been satisfied with the operation of such apparatuses,for instance because of the high consumption of the wrapping materialand thus the uneconomical operation of the device and because of thegeneral difficulties in the operation and slowness of the wrappingprocedure.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages ofthe prior art proposals and to provide a totally new solution for thewrapping of articles with a weblike material, the wrapping of thearticles being, according to said solution, easy, light, reliable andeconomically profitable.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and anapparatus for carrying out said method by which the articles can bewrapped in connection with a continuously operating device forming thearticles such that the wrapping stage Of the article does not interruptthe operation of the forming device and that the operation of thewrapping apparatus is automatic.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and anapparatus for carrying out said method by which the article can bewrapped while the wrapping apparatus is on the move and preferably suchthat the article forming device moving in front of the wrappingapparatus forms the next article to be automatically transferred intothe wrapping apparatus after being finished, while the previous articleis wrapped in the wrapping apparatus, and which apparatus automaticallybegins the wrapping operation of said next article after finishing thewrapping of the previous article.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and anapparatus for carrying out said method, by which the picking-up of thearticle into the apparatus can be easily performed. An additionallyobject is to provide a solution wherein the removal of the wrappedarticle is easy to perform and takes place without causing any damagesto the article or the wrapped cover.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wrappingapparatus which performs the wrapping automatically and which is capableof automatically interrupting its operation in case of any trouble,whereby the apparatus requires less control by the operator than theprior known solutions.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide an apparatusby which more than one article can be wrapped in the same wrapping.

The present invention is based on the idea that by wrapping the articlein two stages and in directions of two planes disposed substantiallynormal to each other, a wrapping is produced, which covers the entiretyof the article and which is solid enough to resist the mechanical andother stresses presented to it.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention theapparatus for wrapping articles, such as bales of straw, fodder, cotton,branch, pulp or waste, or various packages, goods or objects loaded on apallet or the like, with a suitable web like material, such as a plasticfilm or the like, comprises a frame in which a first table or bed orsimilar means is assembled for receiving the article. Correspondinglysaid frame is provided with a second table or bed, from which thewrapped article is removed through the rear end of the apparatus. Thetables are preferably provided with suitable pivotal means and tiltingmeans, such as hydraulic cylinders or the like for controlling theposition of the tables. The pivoting point of each table is preferablydisposed in the end of the table which extends towards the center of theapparatus. Additionally, the tables are constructed such that thearticles are able to move along the tables at least in the longitudinaldirection of the apparatus. Said tables can be arranged as, for example,short roller carriages or belt conveyors or any other suitable conveyorconstructions. According to one embodiment of the present invention theapparatus further comprises means for assisting the transfer of thearticle to the second table and for supporting the article during thetransfer and means for removing the article from said second table.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention wrapping means areprovided between the tables. The wrapping means are arranged such thatat least one source of wrapping material rotates circumferentiallyaround the article in a first, preferably vertical plane such that thearticle is wrapped over its entire length around a first axis thereof orin other words around its first sides. It should be understood that thefirst wrapping means can also be arranged to rotate around the articlein a horizontal plane. The wrapping means comprise at least onedispenser means which are arranged such that the direction of the faceof the wrapping material web can easily be turned about 90°. Forexample, the arrangement can be such that the axis of the wrappingmaterial roll is tiltable or that the direction of the face of the webis tiltable by suitable means without turning the axis of the roll.

The apparatus further comprises means for rotating the article in asecond plane which is substantially normal to said plane of rotation ofsaid wrapping material dispenser means. The rotation can be carried outby any suitable drive means, such as a hydraulic or an electric drivemeans or by means which take the power from the movement of theapparatus by such means as, for example, a suitable transmission fromthe rotation of the wheels, as provided for in one embodiment of thepresent invention.

According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention saidrotating means are mounted to one of said tables such that they arearranged by suitable means to project upwards from the table, to grip ina suitable way the article and then to rotate the article in saidhorizontal plane.

According to another embodiment the table is provided with means forlifting the article upwards and further means are provided above saidtable for supporting and rotating the article above said table. Itshould be understood that also in this solution the rotational movementof the article can alternatively be accomplished from below the article.

According to one embodiment of the present invention the apparatuscomprises means which are arranged to grip the article from the ends orfrom one side or from two opposite sides thereof, which means arearranged to move the article upwards and downwards and to rotate thearticle around its horizontal axis of rotation.

The apparatus may further comprise means by which the articles can beplaced one upon the other, side by side or one after the other,whereafter they can be wrapped into a single wrapping.

According to one preferred embodiment, the apparatus further compriseswheels or in some cases runners or similar means to enable the moving ofthe apparatus. In this case the apparatus further comprises draw beammeans connected to the frame for connecting the apparatus to pullingmeans, such as to the article forming device moving ahead of theapparatus, or to a tractor. Also, according to a further preferredembodiment of the present invention the draw beam of the wrappingapparatus is connected to said article forming device at the centerthereof, i.e. such that the draw beam of the wrapping apparatus isdisposed at the longitudinal center line of the forming apparatus, whichcenter line is located in the midway of the axis between the wheels ofthe forming apparatus. As a result thereof, the wheels of the wrappingapparatus move in the same tracks as the forming device, whichfacilitates the driving of the apparatus and decreases the compressionof the ground and which minimizes the pulling stresses caused by thewrapping apparatus on the forming device. According to yet one furtherembodiment the construction of the draw beam is such that it can bequickly changed in order to be suitable for a connection to a separatepulling device.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention the axis of thewrapping roll of the wrapping means is provided with means monitoringthe rotation of said axis, which means are operatively connected to thecontrol means of the wrapping apparatus and which means signal thestopping of the rotation of the roll, for example in case the wrappingfilm runs out or breaks.

According to one embodiment of the present invention all functions ofthe wrapping apparatus, such as tilting of the tables, controlling ofthe rotation of the wrapping means, starting and finishing of thewrapping stage, controlling of the rotation of the article andcontrolling of the wrapping work cycle in general, are operationallyconnected to a common controlling device. The controlling device may,for example, be arranged in a form of various logics, programmablecontrol means or suitably arranged valve gears.

In the use of the apparatus according the present invention the workingcycle starts when according to one embodiment of the present inventionthe baling machine has formed a bale which forming of the bales ispreferably a continuous operation. The finished bale is removed fromsaid baling machine and moves towards the first table of the wrappingapparatus, which preferably is an extension of the outlet path of thebaling machine when the apparatus is connected behind said movablebaling machine according this embodiment.

Alternatively it is possible to pick up the article from the ground ontothe forward tilted first table or it is possible to transfer thearticles onto the first table of the wrapping apparatus or similarinitial bed for the wrapping procedure by separate conveyor means.

Subsequently the article moves towards the wrapping means and as thefront end thereof reaches said wrapping means the rotating of saidwrapping means around the article is started, whereby a suitablewrapping material, such as a plastic film or similar, unwound from thewrapping material roll, is made to revolve around the article. At thesame time the article is slowly moved forward whereupon the total lengththereof becomes wrapped. After this, the article is preferably grippedfrom underneath by suitable gripping means and the rotation of thearticle in the plane substantially normal to the plane of the axis ofrotation of the wrapping means begins, whereby the article is wrappedfrom all sides thereof and two surfaces of the article are provided witha wrapping in two layers. It is also often preferred to slowly rotatethe wrapping means around the axis of rotation thereof while the articleis rotated, whereby the wrapping becomes evenly settled on the surfaceof the article. Finally the wrapping film is cut off and the article isremoved from the second table, preferably by tilting the tablebackwardly.

It should be understood that it is possible to perform the wrapping ofthe article in the opposite sequence as well, i.e. such that in thefirst stage the article is rotated and subsequently in the second stagethe wrapping material roll means are rotated around the article.

Significant advantages are obtained by the present invention. Thewrapping work of the articles quickens since the wrapping work can beperformed while the next article is being manufactured, for example isformed in a baling machine. By one single apparatus according to thepresent invention it is possible to wrap articles which substantiallyvary as to their size and shape. The number of required machines andlabor is decreased since the same pulling device, such as a tractor, iscapable simultaneously of pulling both the forming and the wrappingapparatuses, which also decreases the adverse compression of the ground.The wrapping work is simplified and the need for the monitoring thereofdecreases since the article is automatically transferred from theforming device to the wrapping apparatus and the control of the wrappingapparatus is such that the wrapping apparatus is capable of operatingautomatically according to the preset operation parameters. The qualityof the wrapped articles increases since they are wrapped from all sidesthereof. This means that a small additional advantage results from theneater appearance of the wrapped articles. Furthermore, the consumptionof the wrapping material decreases substantially compared to the priorart techniques.

In the following the present invention and the other objects andadvantages thereof will be described by way of an example with referenceto the annexed drawings, in which the similar reference charactersthroughout the various figures refer to the similar features. It shouldbe understood that the following description of an example of theinvention is not meant to restrict the invention to the specific formspresented in this connection but rather the present invention is meantto cover all modifications, similarities and alternatives which areincluded in the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined bythe appended claims. For example, included amongst such modificationswould be the provision of a wrapping apparatus which is fixedly mountedonto a solid conveyor and which is used in an industrial environment towrap articles, such as goods loaded on a pallet, according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic side view of a wrapping apparatusaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the wrapping apparatus shown in FIG. 1 ina position in which the tables thereof are tilted to an articlereceiving/removing position;

FIG. 3 is a view taken from above of a wrapping apparatus according tothe present invention;

FIG. 4 is a view taken from the front of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 discloses a wrapping apparatus according a further embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIGS. 6A and 6B disclose examples of the gripping means of the rotatingtable; and

FIG. 7 discloses a device for lifting of the articles on top of oneanother.

The frame 4 of a wrapping apparatus according to a preferred embodimentof the present invention shown in FIG. 1 is formed by a framework whichis substantially rectangular in shape when viewed from the front, sideand top of the apparatus. In said embodiment a bogie 16 is mounted tothe lower part of the frame, the attachment point of the bogie to theframe being adjacent to the mass center of the apparatus and to rear ofthe mass center.

In said embodiment a tiltable first table or front table 7 is pivotallymounted to the front portion of the frame 4, whereby an article 30 isreceived to the wrapping apparatus and is transferred through a ring 3.The front table 7 operates as a supporting structure when the article isreceived directly from the forming apparatus or when the apparatus isused as a fixed wrapping apparatus and as a lifting structure when theapparatus is used by the side of a tractor and the article is liftedfrom the ground (see FIG. 2). The tilting and the lifting is realized bya hydraulic cylinder means 25 or the like. The front end of the fronttable is further provided with a roller 8 extending across the tablesaid roller is provided with spikes, catches or any other suitablegripping members for assisting the lifting of the article from theground when the front table is tilted off the ground. Said roller alsooperates as a retainer member for the article during the lifting processand thus prevents the article from falling back onto the ground. It isalso preferable to arrange the roller 8 to move the article towards thefront table when the article 30 is received directly from the formingdevice. Below the front end of the front table is placed one or severalsupporting wheels 17, which are provided to keep the lower edge of thefront table slightly off from the ground. At the sides of the front endof the front table, slightly above the upper surface of the front tableand extending partially forward from the front table are guide rods 9,which, at the front parts thereof, are bent to an angle upwards andoutwards, whereby the incoming article is easily guided to the fronttable. Furthermore, an upper supporting roll means 10 are rotatablymounted to the front section of the frame such that they are disposed ata suitable height from the upper surface of the front table relative tothe height of the article. Said roll means are provided in order thatthey prevent the article from falling to the front end thereof duringthe movement of the article over an open section after the front table.Said roll means 10 may be replaced or the apparatus may be furtherprovided with a supporting means 26 mounted to the front table as shownin FIG. 2, which means comprise a roll 27 for supporting the article.Said supporting means 26 bear the article during the transfer thereofonto the table and during the movement thereof from the first table to asecond table.

Said second table 13 is consequently mounted pivotally to the rearsection of the frame, said second table receiving the article 30 for thesecond wrapping stage, whereafter said article is finally lowered to theground (see FIG. 2). The tilting and the lowering is accomplished by ahydraulic cylinder means or the like. The rear end of the rear table isfurther provided with a rear supporting roll 12, which extends acrossthe table and is arranged to assist the removal of the article. Bothsides of the rear table may be provided with cone shaped side guiderollers 11 which are arranged such that the distance between saidrollers can be adjusted according to the size of the article to bewrapped.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 a supporting arm 18 extendingbackwards and downwards the top and having a bearing housing 19 for thevertical axis of rotation of a counter plate 6 is provided in the uppersection of the frame of the apparatus. Said counter plate may also beattached non-rotatably to the supporting arm whereupon the smallfriction between the wrapping material and the counter plate allows therotation of the article, although the counter plate is bearing againstthe article.

An article lifting and rotating mechanism 15 is mounted to the reartable for lifting the article against the counter plate 6 positionedabove the table and for rotating the article in a horizontal plane inthe second stage of the wrapping procedure. The lifting and rotatingmechanism may alternatively be provided with means which are arranged togrip the article, for example with such means as those shown in FIGS. 6Aand 6B, whereby the supporting means above the article are unnecessary.

Each of the tables can be provided with a belt conveyor or a similarconveyor and drive means therefor. A belt conveyor draws the articleonto the table and correspondingly moves it on and pushes it off thetable. Alternatively the belt conveyor in one or each of the tables maybe replaced with a roller carriage, which in some embodiments can bedriven by suitable drive means.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 four rotatable guide runners20 around a horizontal axis are assembled inside the framework of thefront section of the frame 4. The bearing points of the guide runnersform, when seen from the front of the apparatus, a symmetricalquadrangle in which the two upper runners are placed in the samehorizontal plane and correspondingly the two lower runners are placed inthe lower horizontal plane and the diagonal lines from corner-to-cornerintersect each other in the middle of the apparatus, when seen in thehorizontal direction. A rotating circumferential ring 3 operating as awrapping member is disposed on the guide runners 20. The cross sectionof the ring is, for example, a U channel section facing to the center ofthe ring. The guide runner 20 is arranged to fit inside said U channelprofile such that the ring cannot move in the vertical or horizontaldirections. Said ring 3 is only able to rotate by the guide runnersaround the horizontal axis thereof. The rotating of the ring 3 occurs bya motor 5, which is attached to the upper section of the frame to rotatethe ring from the inner surface of the ring.

Backwards from the ring and parallel with the horizontal axis thereofextend two bear arms 2 which are attached in said ring 3. The bear armsare disposed such that they are 180° apart from each other in the ring.In each of the bear arms is disposed a pivotally assembled dispenser 1which includes a wrapping material roll for the wrapping of the article.The dispenser add the wrapping material roll therein can be swivelled90° about the pivoting point between the bear arm and the dispenser. Theswivelling is performed by a tilting member 21 positioned in the frameby turning the tilting member to its lower position and rotating thering 3 about its axis of rotation.

It should be understood that the ring 3 can be replaced with suitablearm means which are arranged to provide a circumferential movement ofthe dispenser and/or the wrapping material roll around the article inone plane.

Furthermore, draw bar means 14 of a two-piece construction are pivotedin the lower corner of the frame, the draw bar means having twooperational positions. In the position according to FIG. 3 the draw barmeans presented with a solid line are totally turned to the side of theapparatus such that the front portion of the draw bar means issubstantially parallel with the direction of movement and the rearportion of the draw bar means is at an angle relative to the directionof movement. This position is used when the wrapping apparatus is, forexample, arranged to be pulled at by the side of a tractor. In aposition presented by the dashed line the draw bar means are turnedinwardly such that the front portion of the draw bar means still isparallel with the pulling direction and is disposed substantially in thelongitudinal center line of the wrapping apparatus. This position isused when the apparatus is connected directly to the rear of theapparatus forming the article. The operating positions of the draw barmeans 14 are controlled by members 23 pivotally attached to the frameand the bar means.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention in which thewrapping means 31 are rotated in the horizontal plane and the article 30is rotated about the horizontal axis thereof i.e. in the vertical plane.In this alternative embodiment of the present invention the wrappingapparatus is positioned above a solid conveyor path 32, instead of twoseparately arranged tables. The apparatus further comprises arm means 33and 34 arranged to co-operate with the conveyor path 32, which arm meansare suitably arranged to move adjacent to the ends of the article. Thegripping means 33' and 34' provided in said arm means are arranged togrip the article. At least one of said arm means is provided with drivemeans 35 by which the article can be rotated about the longitudinal axisthereof. In said embodiment the arm means are raised and lowered in avertical direction through the conveyor path, as indicated by thearrows, but they may also be arranged to project over the path 32 fromthe sides thereof. Roll means 37 pivotally mounted on the end of arotating arm 36 can be swivelled 90° about the pivoting point thereofand the rotating arm can be rotated about the article by the drive means39 mounted on a beam 38.

FIG. 6A shows schematically one means arranged into the lifting androtating mechanism for gripping to the article. The solution disclosedin FIG. 6A comprises a lifting member 15' through which the spikes 41 ofthe gripping member 40 are arranged to penetrate. The gripping member issuitably arranged to move relative to the lifting table such that thespikes 41 can penetrate into the article through the table and be easilypulled out of the article with the aid of the upper surface of thelifting table 15'.

FIG. 6B shows schematically an alternatively embodiment of the grippingmeans. The articulated arm mechanism 43 presented therein is constructedsuch that the gripping means 44 arranged at the ends of the arms arearranged to grip the lower portion of the article, such as a pallet.Such gripping means are known to those skilled in the art and in thisconnection it is important only, that the gripping means are of asuitable type for being mounted to the lifting member.

FIG. 7 shows a means for piling the articles which comprises means 50for gripping and lifting the article. Said means for piling furthercomprises a gripping element 51 by which the article 30 arriving alongthe conveyor can be lifted up and then lowered onto the next articlearriving along the conveyor, prior to the beginning of the wrappingprocedure. The apparatus can, of course, be equipped with means whichare capable of placing the articles side by side or one after the otheror both side by side and one after the other prior to the wrappingstage.

The wrapping is performed by the following procedure. The arrival of anarticle onto the table depends on whether the article is picked up fromthe ground or is received directly from the device forming the articles.In case the article, such as a fodder bale or similar, is picked up fromthe ground, the front table 7 is tilted in the forward directiondownward until supporting wheels 17 hit the ground. After this, thearticle is approached such that the pulling device, such as a tractor,moves besides the article until a lifting roller 8 hits the article,after which the lifting procedure is started by tilting the front tableback towards its horizontal position. The gripping means provided in thelifting roller grip the article and lift the edge of the article off theground. Said lifting roller can now be rotated such that said liftingroller passes said front edge of the article to the lower surface of thearticle whereby the article is moved onto the front end of the fronttable. As the rear edge of the article still lies on the ground and thewrapping apparatus further advances in a direction towards the article,the transferring of the article onto the table is further effected. Itis also possible to utilize a supporting means 26 shown in FIG. 2 whentransferring the article onto the table. Finally, the article is drawnin its entirety onto the front table by a belt conveyor or similar meanswhich also forms the upper surface of the front table. Guides 9 assistin the guidance of the article.

When the front table is back in its horizontal position the actualwrapping can begin. If the article is received directly from the formingdevice, it is not always necessary to have such a tilting table.However, in some cases it may be useful to tilt the table in order tofit together the heights of the discharge of the forming machine and thefront end of the first table.

When the article is in a suitable position on the front table thewrapping is started, in accordance with the preferred embodiment, bymoving the article through the ring 3 while the vertical ring 3 isrotated about its horizontal axis. Alternatively the article can bemoved through a circular path of the wrapping material roll which pathis defined by suitable wrapping arm means or similar means. At thisstage the dispensers 1 and thus the wrapping material rolls are in asubstantially horizontal position and thus the surface of the materialweb 22 emerging from the roll is also in the substantially horizontalplane. The wrapping material rolls provided in the ring 3 rotate aboutthe article while the article penetrates through the ring, whereby thematerial web unwinding from the rolls 1 becomes wrapped on the sides ofthe article. The first wrapping stage ends when the article haspenetrated through the ring 3 to the rear table 13. Immediately afterthis comes the second stage in which the article is lifted by a liftingmechanism 15 off the surface of the rear table. In case guide rolls 11are provided in the apparatus, they are moved away or the article islifted so much by the lifting mechanism 15 that the article can freelyrotate about a vertical axis of rotation of said lifting mechanism. Saidlifting mechanism further comprises gripping means for taking a hold ofthe article, whereby no special support for the article is required. Thedispensers and thus also the rolls therein in the ring 3 are pivoted 90°relative to their initial position and thereafter the article is rotatedabout its the center axis in the horizontal plane by the liftingmechanism 15. It is advantageous to rotate also the ring 3 whereby theends of the article become covered over their total height. The ring 3is rotated so much that the wrapping material passes over the corners ofthe article, whereby all corners of the article are provided with doublewrapping i.e. in the corners the wrapping material is placed at least intwo layers.

According to an alternative embodiment, the article is pushed towards acounter plate 6 by the lifting mechanism 15 and thus the gripping meansof the lifting mechanism 15 are not necessarily required.

According to one yet alternative embodiment the wrapping materialdispenser is circulated about the article in the horizontal plane andthe article is rotated in the vertical plane.

It is self-evident that the aforementioned first and second wrappingstages can also be performed in an alternative sequence and that themeans for rotating the article can also be arranged in connection withthe first table.

During said second wrapping stage the next article to be wrapped istransferred into a suitable position onto the front table. Afterfinishing said second wrapping stage the wrapped article is lowered ontothe surface of the rear table 13 and slightly moved towards the fronttable and said next article. Substantially at the same time thedispensers and thus the material web rolls are swivelled 90° back totheir initial positions, the ring 3 is rotated for a couple ofrevolutions and said next article is moved towards the rear table. Thusthe wrapping material web, which is not yet cut, grips around the nextarticle and the wrapping thereof can begin. At this stage the wrappedarticle is lowered from the rear table to the ground or is moved aheadalong the conveyor. At the same time the wrapping material web is cutbetween the wrapped article and the next article to be wrapped. In casethe web is not broken by itself i.e. by the movement of the wrappedarticle it is cut by suitable cutting means. The rear table is returnedto its initial position and the wrapping of the following articlecontinues and, thus, a new operation cycle follows the previous one.Thus, the wrapping of the articles is a continuous process and a highcapacity is achieved.

For the successful wrapping result, it is essential to swivel the axisof the web material roll or the plane of the web material surface 90° bya suitable swivelling means between the two wrapping stages. By thisfeature the surface of the article is provided with a cover or shield inwhich the wrapping material web extends both in the horizontal and inthe vertical directions. Additionally, a saving of 30% in the amount ofwrapping material used is achieved when comparing to the prior knownwrapping methods in which there is a need to wrap extra layers of thewrapping material around the article because of the lack of reliabilityof the known wrapping techniques.

The swivelling of the material web roll is preferably performed byprojecting a swivelling means 21 shown in FIG. 1 towards the circularpath of the dispenser and the material web roll and by rotating thedispenser past said swivelling means, whereby the dispenser and the rolltherein is swivelled. Accordingly, the dispenser and the roll arereturned to their initial vertical position by rotating the dispenseragain past said swivelling means 21. In an alternative embodiment thereturn to the initial position is performed by changing the direction ofmovement of the dispenser in the circular path and the dispenser ismoved back to the projecting means for the swivelling of the dispenser.The dispenser is provided with a gas spring or similar means in order tohold the roll steady in the position to which it is swivelled accordingto the respective stage of wrapping.

The foregoing discloses a preferred embodiment according to theinvention but it is clear to those skilled in the art that the inventioncan be modified and applied in many other ways without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present invention defined in the appendedclaims. For example, it should be understood that after the secondwrapping stage the article can be positioned transversely relative tothe conveyor and then once more wrapped over the ends thereof. It shouldalso be understood that although the aforementioned examples mainlyrelate to movable arrangement, the invention can readily be modified tooperate as a fixed arrangement, for example an arrangement to be used inindustrial solutions.

I claim:
 1. A method of wrapping articles with a wrapping material web,comprising:moving an article along a bed means for moving the articlepast wrapping means for wrapping including at least one wrappingmaterial dispenser means for dispensing, and simultaneously rotatingsaid dispenser means around said article along a circular path about afirst axis of rotation, whereby the wrapping material web emerges fromsaid dispenser means such that a surface of said wrapping material webis substantially parallel to said first axis of rotation and saidwrapping material web becomes wrapped on sides of said article in afirst direction as said article moves along said bed means, subsequentlyturning said surface of said wrapping material web emerging from saiddispenser means such that said surface of said wrapping material webbecomes substantially normal to said first axis of rotation, said stepof turning said surface of said wrapping material web being accomplishedsuch that said wrapping means remain in said circular path about saidfirst axis of rotation, and rotating said article around a second axisof rotation, substantially normal to said first axis of rotation,whereby the wrapping material web is provided onto the sides of saidarticle in a second direction of wrapping substantially normal to saidfirst direction of wrapping.
 2. The method as set forth in claim 1includingrotating said dispenser means around said first axis ofrotation along the circular path in a substantially vertical plane, saidfirst axis being essentially horizontal and rotating around said secondaxis of rotation in a substantially horizontal plane, said second axisbeing essentially vertical.
 3. The method as set forth in claim 1comprising further steps ofproviding a lifting means, lifting saidarticle from said bed and providing means for rotating such that saidarticle is enabled to rotate about said second axis of rotation, andgripping said article by gripping elements provided in the lifting meansduring lifting and rotating said article about said second axis ofrotation.
 4. The method as set forth in claim 1 comprising further stepsoflifting said article by a lifting means and pushing said articleagainst a counter plate whereby said article is restrained between saidlifting means and the counter plate during the rotation of said articleabout said second axis of rotation.
 5. The method as set forth in claim1 comprising further steps ofgripping said article by gripping means,lifted from said bed means and rotated about said second axis ofrotation in a substantially vertical plane and circulating said wrappingmaterial dispenser means about said first axis of rotation along acircular path of rotation disposed in a substantially horizontal plane.6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said turning of saidsurface of said wrapping material web emerging from said dispensingmeans comprises swivelling by 90° of said dispensing means betweensubsequent stages of wrapping.
 7. The method as set forth in claim 1wherein said dispenser means are slowly circulated around said articleabout said first axis of rotation while said article is rotated aboutsaid second axis of rotation.
 8. An apparatus for wrapping an articlewith a wrapping material web, said apparatus comprising:bed means(7,13;32) for receiving and movably supporting said article (30) suchthat said article is moved along said bed means in one stage ofwrapping, at least one dispenser means (1;37) for dispensing thewrapping material web, wrapping means (3;36) for circulating saiddispenser means (1;37) about a first axis of rotation around saidarticle for wrapping, in a first wrapping stage, said wrapping materialweb (22) around said article as said article is moved along said bedmeans while keeping a surface of said wrapping material web (22)substantially parallel to said first axis of rotation, means (15;35) forrotating said article about a second axis of rotation in a secondwrapping stage, said second axis being substantially normal to saidfirst axis of rotation, and means (21) for turning said surface of saidwrapping material web (22) emerging from said dispenser means (1;37)between the first and second wrapping stages such that the surface ofsaid wrapping material web becomes substantially normal to said firstaxis of rotation, while said wrapping means (3;36) are arranged toremain rotative about said first axis of rotation.
 9. The apparatus asset forth in claim 8 wherein said wrapping means include a substantiallyvertically disposed circular ring (3) which is rotatably assembled ontosupport roller means (20) disposed in the framework (4) of saidapparatus and which circular ring further includes at least one supportarm (2) extending from said ring (4) for pivotally supporting saiddispenser means (1).
 10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8 whereinsaid bed means include a first table (7) and a second table (13) whichare arranged such that there is an open space between said first andsecond tables (7,13) and such that said wrapping means (3) is disposedbetween said tables, said open space being wider than the width of saidwrapping material web (22), said apparatus being provided with means forconveying said article over said open space and with means (10) forsupporting said article during the movement of said article over saidopen space.
 11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein saidtables (7,13) are provided with tilting means (25) arranged to tilt saidtables such that the ends of said tables extending away from saidwrapping means (3) are capable of being turned towards the ground sothat said first table (7) tilts for the picking-up of an article andsaid second table (13) tilts for the removal of said article.
 12. Theapparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein said bed means (7,13;32)include means (15;33,34) for rotatably lifting said article from saidbed means (7,13;32) and for rotating said article (30) in said secondplane.
 13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein said liftingmeans (15;33,34) include gripping means (41;44) arranged to grip saidarticle during said rotation about said second axis of rotation.
 14. Theapparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein said apparatus furtherincludes a counter plate (6) arranged to co-operate with said liftingmeans (15) for supporting and rotating said article.
 15. The apparatusas set forth in claim 8 wherein said apparatus further comprises means(50) for piling said articles (30) on top of another or side by sideprior to the wrapping stages.
 16. The method as set forth in claim 1,wherein the step of moving the article along the bed means includesmoving the article in a generally straight line generally parallel tothe first axis of rotation.
 17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8,wherein the bed means includes means for moving the article in agenerally straight line generally parallel to the first axis ofrotation.